Fish Creek Covered Bridge, Hundred West Virginia
On July 27th, 1881 a committee was appointed by the Wetzel County Court for letting out a contract for a bridge to be built across Fish Creek "near the mouth of Rush". This information, obtained from Wetzel County Court Records describes the location of the present covered bridge, which crosses Fish Creek near the mouth of Rush Run near Hundred, West Virginia. The most likely date for completion of construction was probably in 1881 (as a postcard of the bridge indicates) or within a few years following.
The Fish Creek Covered Bridge is the only remaining covered bridge in Wetzel County, which had a number of bridges in the past. Along with the Dents Run covered bridge, the Fish Creek bridge is one of the two remaining bridges in West Virginia having the single kingpost truss design.
Bridge Description
The Fish Creek Covered Bridge is 12 feet-10 inches wide and 36 feet in length. Wooden siding painted barn red and a galvanized metal roof cover the superstructure. The kingpost truss has two 8-inch square diagonals extending from the notched ends of the 9 x 9½-inch bottom chord to the mortise and tenon joint at the 9 x 11-inch center post. Knee braces at the center post and at either end post help to stiffen the frame. Metal tension straps bolted to the sides of the center post support the 8 x 9½ inch transverse floor beam which supports the floor stringers at mid-span.
Modern reinforcement consists of six 8 x 12-inch wide flange stringers that support the deck, which originally rested on wooden stringers.
(1979)
(1979)
